V pátek prezident Recep Tayyip Erdogan announcedthat Turkey conducted the largest exploration of natural gas reserves in the Black Sea. And the mission was truly successful – the Turks discovered approximately 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas in a zone called Tuna-1. The report that “newly discovered reserves are only part of much larger reserves and the country will continue to explore more in the near future,” follows Erdogan’s speech on Wednesday, indicating that he has “good news” and is entering a “new era” for Turkey.
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The first Turkish oil and gas drilling vessel Fatih set out on a long-awaited mission on June 25 from Trabzon in northern Turkey. The Fatih vessel was scheduled to start drilling in the Black Sea region in mid-July, as announced by Fatih Dönmez, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. Named after the Ottoman conqueror Fatih Sultan Mehmet, the vessel operates in an area where drilling has been suspended for a long time. The ship is 229 meters long, weighs 5,283 tons and is able to drill to a maximum depth of 40,000 feet, ie about 12,192 meters.
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Zone Tuna-1 lies at the mouth of the Danube Bloc at the crossroads between the Bulgarian and Romanian maritime borders in the inland waters of Turkey. Earlier surveys in the Black Sea have already been carried out by Turkey’s first seismic vessel, the Barbaros Hyrettin Paşa. It identified abundant natural gas reserves in the Danube Bloc in the Turkish waters of the western Black Sea. The Danube Bloc has been a promise of oil and gas production for Romania and Bulgaria for many years.
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At the displeasure of Greece and the European Union, Turkey is now exploring the possibility of oil and gas extraction in the Eastern Mediterranean as well. Greece claims that Turkish ships operate in its territorial waters and that this is an illegal operation. Erdogan said this week that no threats would deter his country from seeking natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean. According to the AP agency, Turkey is trying to reduce its independence from foreign energy imports.
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